THE 24TH JUNE IN NEW YORK.-TRIBUTE TO THE R. W. JAMES HERRING. [Communicated for the Magazine.] A number of Brethren tendered a dinner complimentary to their distinguished and beloved Brother, the R. W. JAMES HERRING, P. G. Sec'ry of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, as a tribute of fraternal regard and affection, and expressive of the high estimation entertained of the very eminent services rendered the Fraternity of this State and the Institution at large. During the seventeen years he has held the office, the Order in this State has been assailed by factions, political, antimasonic, and rebellious; but with unremitting assiduity, Bro. Herring battled the opposing tempests, and we are now enjoying the fruits of his labors, zeal, and deep devotedness to the cause. The following is the correspondence:- New York, June 15th, 1846. Dear Brother and Friend:-A number of your Brethren, anxious to testify to you the high sense they entertain of the faithful and independent manner in which you have acted during a term of 17 years, as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of Masons in this State, and of the benefits which your devoted affection to the best interests of our Order, in days of the darkest adversity, has been the means of securing, will feel gratified by your being one of them, at some early day, to be named by yourself, at a dinner to be given you, as a continued mark of their fraternal attachment to you. We are, dear friend and Brother, To the R. W. JAMES HERRING, P. G. S. F. G. TISDALL, New York, June 15th, 1846. My Dear Friends and Brothers :-I have before me your letter of this date, inviting me to be one of you at some early day, at a dinner, to be given as a mark of the fraternal attachment of a number of my Brethren, and of their appreciation of the services which my position as Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge for many years, may have enabled me to perform. It cannot but be gratifying to me to know, that the duties to which I have devoted a large portion of the best years of my life, receive the testimony of approbation from my Brethren, and I beg you to assure those on whose behalf you have written, that I deeply feel their kindness and affectionate regard. As I must necessarily be absent from the city some days, it will not be possible for me to name an earlier day than the 24th instant on which to meet them. I am, my dear Brethren, sincerely and affectionately yours, JAMES HERRING. The festival of St. John the Baptist having been selected, at the appointed time the Brethren assembled at Br. Stone's, Broadway, and in the room used by the Grand Lodge, which was appropriately decorated with Masonic banners and emblems, they sat down to a sumptuous table loaded with the choicest viands and all the delicacies of the season. The R. W. William Willis, P. D. G. M., presided, and the cloth having been withdrawn, Non Nobis Domine, was chanted by Brs. A. Phillips, A. Kyle, and J. Massett, who, with Br. John Anderson, enlivened the banquet with cheerful songs-Br. George Loder presiding at the forte piano in his usual excellent manner. 1st. The Day, and all who honor it. [Music.] 2d. The Grand Lodges throughout the world. The R. W. P. D. G. M. Willis, then read the following letter from the M. W. John D. Willard, G. M. of the G. Lodge of the State of New York: W. Brothers :-I have the honor to acknowledge the viting me to attend the dinner to be given on the 24th Herring, P. G. Secretary. Troy, June 22d, 1846. receipt of your letter ininst., to the R. W. James There is no one who appreciates more justly than myself, the ability and zeal with which the Past Grand Secretary has discharged the important duties of his office through so many years; and it would give me very great pleasure to be present at the dinner, both for the sake of uniting in the compliment to that distinguished Brother, and for the purpose, also, of meeting, on a festive occasion, the noble-hearted Freemasons of the city of New York. I have delayed an answer for two or three days, in the hope that I might so arrange my business engagements as to be present; but I find it impossible, and am compelled reluctantly to decline the invitation with which I have been honored. Very respectfully and fraternally, yours, To Brs. F. G. Tisdall, W. W. Nexsen, George Loder, Committee. JOHN D. WILLARD. 3d. The M. W. Grand Master and Grand Officers of the State of New York. To which the R. W. D. G. M., Bro. Phillips, responded as follows: R. W. Brother':-In the absence of our M. W. Grand Master, the very agreeable duty devolves on me of returning the most grateful thanks in behalf of the officers of the Grand Lodge, for the good wishes and kind feelings intended to be conveyed in making mention of them at this interesting moment, and for the cordial, hearty, and unanimous response which has been made to the compliment by so numerous and respectable an assemblage of our Brethren. May I trust that I am not overestimating the kindness and partiality of those friends around me, with many of whom it is my pride to say I have been long and closely linked by the tender ties of fraternal intercourse, in feeling and believing that it is not alone to the office, to which their attachment has elevated me, that I am indebted for a share of their loudly expressed token of respect, but that there is some personal regard in connexion with it. Sure it is, I have the most affectionate feelings for this entire body, recognizing, as I do, many esteemed associates, and appreciate the invitation which enables me to indulge with them at this time the conviviality of the Masonic festive board. Well pleased am I, Right Worshipful Sir, to observe together so many active and zealous Brethren on this day and on this occasion, and gladly would hope it is the revival of one of our time-honored customs of uniting together on the festival of St. John, and by the interchange of social sentiments, strengthen our bonds of brotherly love, in doing honor and reverence to the memory of one who will ever be remembered by the members of our ancient and honorable Order with all possible veneration, and I trust the return of the day will never hereafter be permitted to pass over without due and proper observance by at least every member of the Craft under our jurisdiction. It is also exceedingly gratifying, Right Wor shipful, to witness so respectable a body of Masons assembled on this occasion, to do honor to an eminent Brother, who has ever been active in the Fraternity, who has sustained the character of an upright adherent of the Order, and distinguished for his untiring industry and zeal, as well to sustain the honor and dignity of the Craft as to promote the interest of the Grand Lodge of this State in particular. I need scarcely add, that I allude to our R. W. Bro. James Herring, to whom the compliment of this entertaiment is worthily paid. It has been my good fortune to be intimately acquainted with him from the earliest period of my connection with the Institution, and have uniformly borne witness to the able and indefatigable manner in which he labored for the Craft, and of his perfect willingness at all times to impart any knowledge he possessed, to benefit either the applicant or the Order. Entertaining the greatest respect for his experience, I have, on every occasion, asked and followed his advice on any Masonic matter, with the same confidence I should have appealed to my own father, on any other subject, and it becomes me to say, I ever found it to prove sound, discreet, and brotherly, and that the observance of his counsel invariably gave me abundant reason for satisfaction and pleasure. It is, therefore, particularly gratifying to find that my Masonic Brethren know how to appreciate merit, and are ever ready to acknowledge and reward it. I thank them officially, for their observance of the day, and I thank them for honoring their Brother, for it teaches you and me, and all of us, that the same honor may be our lot, if we but act up to those pure principles our noble Institution inculcates, and that similar tokens of approbation will ever be as freely bestowed on any Brother who, by a strict attention to his Masonic duties, shows himself worthy of them. Permit me, Right Worshipful, to conclude with the following sentiment: The Masonic Fraternity wheresoever dispersed around the Globe-May health, happiness, and prosperity be their portion. The R. W. Bro. Willis, in rising to propose the 4th regular toast, spoke as follows: Brethren :-We have assembled this evening for the two-fold purpose of celebrating the Anniversary of our Patron Saint, and of honoring our R. W. worthy Brother, James Herring, who has long filled one of the most important offices in the Grand Lodge of the State of New York. I had designed before offering the toast next in order, to have made a few remarks on the subject of it. In this agreeable duty, I have been, in some degree, anticipated by the eloquent remarks of our R. W. D. G. M., Bro. Phillips. Yet, there are acts and efforts of his, which, from a long personal acquaintance and official intercourse, I feel bound to speak of, and one or two of which I shall briefly allude to. I had the pleasure of first witnessing his efforts for the preservation of our Order in this State, at the time when political antimasonry was threatening destruction to our beloved Institution, by standing prominently forth with a few kindred spirits, and nobly sustaining the principles of our Order. I dare not trust myself to go fully into detail, lest I might detain you too long. Suffice it to say, the storm at last spent itself, though not without, in a great measure, impairing the usefulness of our Order in this State; for, from about 500 Lodges then under the jurisdiction, we are reduced to 72 working Lodges; our permanent fund seriously reduced, and the Grand Lodge largely in debt. But, thanks, to his untiring efforts, through the success of the different projects brought forward by him, the Grand Lodge is once more, as I have been officially informed, now entirely out of debt. But, my Brethren, while attending to the repairing of our financial condition, he lost not sight of our working and social state, but, by the introduction of a model Lodge in working, (which all would do well to imitate,) and by the Representative System, he has contributed to our information, our comfort, and our pleasure. I will mention but one more, and one which I deem the crowning excellence of all, the Masonic Hall and Asylum Fund, (which, when completed, will be a home for the distressed Mason, the poor widows of Masons and their orphan children of this our great State of New York,) which in the beginning had his unaided efforts alone, and from the comparative mite that crowned those efforts about three years since, the fund now consists of about $3000-a noble example, that I trust will not be lost sight of by the Fraternity of this State. Brethren, I will not longer detain you, than to ask you to assist me at the sound of the well known Masonic signal, in the toast prepared for the occasion: 4th. Our Guest-The R. W. JAMES HERRING, P. G. Sec'ry of the G. Lodge of New York-" Honor to whom honor is due." After the applause had subsided, the R. W. Bro. Herring replied in the following words: Right Worshipful and Brethren :-According to usage on occasions of this kind, something will be expected from me in the acknowledgement of the honor done me by this testimony of your approbation of my conduct during a period of seventeen years that I have occupied the office of Grand Secretary. After the addresses which have been made by the R. W. Brothers, the Deputy and Past Deputy Grand Masters, there would appear to be really very little necessary to be said by me, beyond an expression of my thanks to the Brethren, who, whether present or absent, have united in this testimonial. I feel that it would be unbecoming in me to speak of my past labors without doing so. Neither do I wish to allude to those who have conferred upon me the honor of bearing the title of Past Grand Secretary. I recognize the perfect right of the majority of the Grand Lodge to elect whomsoever they please as their officers, and I have not the least objection to the result of the late election in that body. As I said at the time, so I continue to believe, it relieves me from great care, labor and responsibility, of which they knew but little, and it will be undoubtedly greatly to the advantage of myself and those dependent upon me. But while I feel all this, I cannot but feel a very great objection to the manner in which that result was brought about. Midnight caucusses, with locked doors, and a seal upon the lips, are not necessary for any honest or truthful purpose, and they who held such, probably forgot that, according to our Masonic doctrine, there was an EYE which looked down upon them, and witnessed their unhallowed work. But, rest assured, Brethren, that he who chiefly exults in the result of his schemes, will feel the eye of indignation frown upon him, and the finger of scorn will point out the traitor to fraternal friend ship will not dwell upon a subject so disgusting. This is neither the time nor place to enter at length into a detail of intrigues and combinations. It is to me satisfaction enough to be able to compare and to contrast the condition of the Grand Lodge at two points of time-my entrance to office in 1829, and my retirement in 1846. From 1825 to 1829, the expenditure of the Grand Lodge had been no less than $66 over the receipts. From that time to this, by the faithful co-operation of the Deputy Grand Master Myers, the Grand Treasurer, Van Benschoten, and those who succeeded them, I was enabled to check the destruction of the permanent fund, and to keep the expenditure of the Grand Lodge within its income, although for several years, that income was continually decreasing. On my retirement, I leave the Grand Lodge free from debt, money in the Treasury, the permanent fund untouched, and an extra fund of $3000, towards the erection of an asylum for our aged Brethren, and the widows and orphans of the Fraternity. There is another point not unworthy of notice by those who will have the future conduct of the affairs of our Grand Lodge. In 1829, there were upon the register, about 500 Lodges nominally holding under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of this State. Of these, a large proportion had not made any returns, or paid any dues to the Grand Lodge in three, ten, fifteen, and even twenty years. Nobody knew who were their officers, what they were about, or whether they were in existence. They appeared to have entirely forgotten that such a body as the Grand Lodge was in being. To ascertain the condition of these bodies, I wrote some thousands of letters, and reported the result from time to time. Some treated the G. Lodge with positive contempt-a few were brought into good standing-but much the larger proportion did nothing from that time to this, and their warrants were successively declared forfeited, until the whole number left amounted to only 72. To obtain the property, or even the old warrants of the erased Lodges, was found to be impossible, even when properly authorized persons were sent to demand them; and, as a final disposition of the subject, the Grand Lodge, in June, 1839, after a patient labor of 10 years, determined to give them the last opportunity of performing their duty, by resolving that all the forfeited warrants, which should not be surrendered or revived (with the consent of the Grand Lodge,) previous to June, 1840, were forever annulled, and incapable of being revived. By this act, the Grand Lodge exhibited their determination to vindicate their own honor, sustain their own laws, and put an end to the vexation of laboring in vain to bring some 15,000 Masons to their duty. This last decision, like the appeals which had preceded it, was disregarded. Masonry no longer appeared in her golden girdle, and clad in purple and fine linen, but faint and weary and in distress, and as they thought, near to her end. There were no sounds of joy in her halls, there was no horor in her offices, no profit in her associations. Surrounded by enemies without, and abandoned by pretending friends, the Grand Lodge was reduced to a very small assembly-so small, that it was sometimes doubtful if a quorum could be formed at our quarterly meetings. That day has passed, and with it, you, Brethren, will see a corresponding change in those whose business it is to speculate in Masonry. You will see those who could not be found by seeking in the day of trial, and there was no money to be had, now come forward and talk feelingly of "our beloved Institution," our venerable Institution," our timehonored Institution," and some such you have probably seen already. Beware of them. When they were amongst us, everything was brought into confusion and incomprehensible chaos. 99.66 99 66 By well considered measures, the Institution is placed in a flourishing condidition: the same measures steadfastly persevered in, will continue to keep it so; but you may depend upon it, that efforts will be made to destroy that system on which its prosperity for the future depends. An effort has, indeed, been already made to insert the wedge of destruction by an endeavor to expunge the resolution of 1839. For whose benefit was this attempt intended? There can be but one answer: for the benefit of those who, previous to 1839, had neglected their duties to the Grand Lodge for three, ten, fifteen and twenty years, and then treated her with silent contempt, but this attempt was happily defeated. Upon all innovators and speculators, I shall continue to maintain perpetual watch. They made a great mistake if they thought that when they took off my official gloves, I should be so offended as to abandon the field. It will probably be all the better for the Institution, for there are some subjects which can be best handled without gloves; and so long as I find myself sustained by the good men and true of the Fraternity, I shall wage war upon all corruptors, speculators, and mischief-makers; against all enemies of pure Masonry, whether without or within; and if I can no longer lead the charge, I will fight in the ranks; and so long as the Grand Lodge maintains its integrity and honor, continues to aim at the accomplishment of high, noble and useful objects, so long will I give it my most cheerful support, and endeavor to preserve your good opinion. Brethren, in conclusion, I ask you to fill to the following sentiment: The Asylum Fund-May it meet with the cordial support of every Brother in the State, have the blessing of God, and approbation of the world. 5th. The Representatives of the Grand Lodges throughout the world. The R. W. Bro. J. H. Rogers, Representative of the Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut, responded, and gave The Masonic Fraternity-May they ever adhere to the ancient Landmarks of the Order, viz: to protect and cherish the widow and the orphan. A deputation from L'Union Francaise Lodge, who were celebrating the Festival of St. John in another part of the city, were announced and admitted, and gave: Prosperity to the Grand Lodge of the State of New York, the Grand Lodges throughout the world, and the Lodge of Strict Observance, No. 94. By R. W. Bro. Willis, P. D. G. M. The Lodges of Albany and Schenectady. This was responded to by Bro. James, of Albany, who gave |